Bruno Mars’ New Collaboration Is One Of The Catchiest Songs Of 2024
Yes, Bruno Mars’s collaboration with Lady Gaga, “Die With A Smile,” is a huge hit; it’s closing in on 200 million views on YouTube. But it’s not the only duet he has out. “APT.,” a duet with ROSE from BLACKPINK, is a banger, too. In four days on YouTube, it has over 90 million views. “APT.” is the Korean singer’s first single for her soon-to-be-released full-length studio album, Rosie, dropping on December 6, 2024.
The Backstory Behind “APT.”
The single is an earworm all fans sing long after hearing it because of the upbeat chorus with ROSÉ repeating “apateu,” which is the Korean word for apartment. The title and the chorus were inspired by the singer’s favorite drinking game, Apartment. She told Vogue, “I remember going home [from the studio] kind of freaked out. ‘Is this OK, that I’ve written a song about a drinking game?’”
ROSÉ’s agency, The Black Label, also explained how the pop-rock song came to life. As published in The Korea Times, “APT. is actually my favorite Korean drinking game that I play with my friends back home. It’s so simple, puts a smile on your face and breaks the ice at any party.” She added, “One night in the studio, I taught my crew how to play the game. Everyone was fascinated, especially when I started the chant, so we played around with it and I said we should make a song out of it… and after Bruno joined the track, the rest became history!”
What Makes “APT.” Fun
Aside from the upbeat, catchy chorus, the song’s official music video also showed how much fun the two powerhouse artists had.
The video also paid homage to its inspiration with ROSÉ and Bruno Mars playing the drinking game. Mars was also seen waving the Korean flag while singing parts of the song in Korean while ROSÉ giggled beside him.
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars’ Friendship
Fans also love the good relationship between the two. Recently, the goofy duo greeted fans from the balcony of their hotel in Brazil.
Positive comments flooded ROSÉ’s Instagram post calling the friendship between the two as giving off siblings’ energy vibe with one fan (@fina_rizki6693) dubbing the duo as “lil bro & big rosie.” Fans have also commented about how comfortable ROSÉ is around Mars as evident in their interactions. This is because there have been Reddit, TikTok and Quora posts showing the Korean singer as someone who hates men with some fans even questioning her sexuality.
However, some fans were also quick to explain the singer’s behavior, saying she’s relaxed around Mars because he’s a gentleman and an all-around good guy, a sentiment many fans seem to agree on.
Not Everyone Loves “APT.”
Despite the popularity it’s been enjoying, the song still drew criticisms from some who even went as far as to say it’s a low-quality song for someone like Bruno Mars. Other negative comments also noted that the song was such a waste of Mars’ talent and that it didn’t suit him. Bashers have also been blaming ROSÉ, claiming that she doesn’t know how to use Mars’ talent to her advantage.
The Korean singer, however, mentioned in a radio interview that they sent three songs to Mars and that he personally chose “APT.” after finding out it’s a Korean drinking game, as published in allkpop, shushing all flak the song’s been getting.
